Real Madrid 4-1 Atletico Madrid (AET): Real snatch late equaliser at end of cautious first 90 minutes before becoming rampant in extra-time

Carlo Ancelotti selected Sami Khedira as Xabi Alonso’s replacement deep in midfield, and chose Fabio Coentrao over Marcelo at left-back. Raphael Varane started rather than Pepe, who wasn’t 100% fit.

Diego Simeone wasn’t able to call upon Arda Turan, so Raul Garcia started on the right. Simeone gambled on the fitness of Diego Costa, but the Brazilian-cum-Spaniard was nowhere near fully fit, and Adrian Lopez replaced him inside ten minutes.

This looked set to be a classic underdog victory – reactive, counter-attacking and with the winner from a set-piece – but Real’s own set-piece equaliser forced extra-time, and from then there was only one winner.

Overall pattern

The pattern was as expected – two counter-attacking sides playing out a cautious match, and the only two goals coming from corners. There were few clear-cut chances in open play, and despite the intention of both sides, relatively few dangerous counter-attacks either.

Atletico started with their usual 4-4-2 shape but moved to 4-1-4-1 after the break, while Real’s system initially seemed a hybrid of 4-4-2 and 4-3-3, although looked more like a simple 4-4-2 the more the match continued.

Real dominate possession

Arguably the key question was about how Atletico would win possession – they’re capable of pressing high up the pitch and using an aggressive defensive backline, or sitting deep with the strikers occupying space in midfield. Logically, against a fast Real attack it was the latter, and this created a slow, patient contest.

Atletico were excellent at denying Bale and Ronaldo the ball, and in the first 90 minutes there were only two examples of ‘classic’ Real breaks through these two – both when Atletico conceded possession cheaply with terrible square passes. David Villa misplaced a pass and allowed Ronaldo to charge forward, while Tiago played an even worse ball, allowing Bale to cut inside and shoot – probably the game’s best chance in open play.

Otherwise, there were various reasons Real didn’t break well: Atletico’s good positional play, their willingness to commit highly cynical fouls to stop these breaks, and Bale and Ronaldo simply playing poorly. Another factor, however, was that Real weren’t good at winning the ball to catch Atletico out of position. Khedira wasn’t fully fit after his long injury lay-off, and was unable to provide the energy and tenacity Real required in that central zone – Atletico bullied Real in 50:50 challenges.

Real’s best hope in the first half, particularly in the opening stages, was Karim Benzema dropping deep. He moved away from goal, presumably with the hope of dragging Atleti’s defenders out to create space for others, and tried a couple of clever flicks for Bale.

Atletico attacks

Atletico were poor in open play. Koke tried to instigate moves from his inside-left position, but it was very obvious Simeone’s side were without Turan and Costa – they didn’t have the quick passing combinations on the break of the former, or the pace and aggressiveness of the latter. He’s so good at working Real’s two centre-backs and excelled in this fixture earlier in the campaign, and while Villa battled tirelessly, neither he nor Adrian provided a real outlet.

Villa, incidentally, was the game’s most-fouled player, and the player who committed the most fouls – he tried to become Costa for the evening.

There were a couple of long diagonal switches towards Raul Garcia to use his aerial presence, but they were rarely as effective as in the quarter-final against Barcelona, when this was the game’s key feature. Coentrao’s extra height is probably why Ancelotti used the Portuguese left-back over Marcelo – Garcia’s aerial prowess was arguably Atletico’s greatest weapon.

Atletico crossed the ball a lot, which meant Real’s centre-backs were often called into action – although Atletico’s strikers were rarely in a position to get their head to the ball. Sergio Ramos would eventually be Real’s matchsaver, but Varane was even better in his own box, constantly making crucial clearances.

They couldn’t prevent Diego Godin scoring his second crucial header in the space of a week, however, when Iker Casillas misjudged a high ball.

Carvajal free

As we learned from Atletico’s matches against Barcelona, where Daniel Alves was the key player because he was allowed space down the flank, opposition right-backs are crucial against Simeone’s side. Koke tucks inside and shuttles forward, while Filipe Luis defends narrow. This meant Real’s perennial outlet was Carvajal, allowed to dribble forward throughout the first period.

Carvajal is talented technically but not the best crosser at this stage of his career, and while on paper he was the most dangerous player, his end product wasn’t good enough. Atletico also seemed happy defending crosses, despite Ronaldo moving inside to become a second centre-forward alongside Benzema.

Atleti go 4-1-4-1

The major change at the start of the second half was Simeone switching shape, and moving to a 4-1-4-1 system. It made sense for him to become more cautious with an extra midfielder considering Atletico were now 1-0 up. Koke shifted inside, Adrian moved left and now Atletico were doing a much better job of pinning back the Real full-backs – particularly Carvajal, the first half dangerman, although it left Tiago with a large amount of space to cover.

The line-ups by full-time - Real now a clear 4-4-2, Atletico 4-1-4-1

However, the move also improved Atletico going forward, and in the opening 15 minutes Adrian gave Carvajal some really difficult moments. After all, Adrian was now in his best position and looked much more comfortable dribbling down the flank – he also had Atletico’s best chance of the second half, with a blocked shot following a Godin knock-down. This was an unusual situation, following a set-play, but Adrian was certainly the liveliest player at the start of the second period.

Ancelotti changes

After an hour, Ancelott made two subtle but positive changes. Marcelo replaced Coentrao and bombed forward much more down the left, helping Real make inroads down that flank. Simeone quickly turned to Jose Sosa in place of Raul Garcia, who had tired and could therefore no longer track his man.

In the centre of the pitch – with Real now unquestionably a 4-4-2 – Khedira was predictably removed and Ancelotti went for Isco, a much more attacking option than Asier Illaramendi, to bring more creativity.

Real were now playing an absurdly attacking midfield – two natural number tens and two wingers. Adrian looked to move inside into the space between the lines, but never collected possession in that zone. Atletico could have done more to counter-attack in this period – although had they not conceded the late equaliser, we could have considered this a perfect strategic and defensive performance.

Both managers used their final change to replace tired/injured players – Benzema and Filipe Luis were struggling, and therefore placed by Alvaro Morata and Toby Alderweireld respectively.

Di Maria

The real star of Real’s comeback, however, was Di Maria. The Argentine was fantastic all game, helping to connect midfield and attack (something Bale did poorly when Real had spells of possession) and charging forward on mini-breaks. He rarely provided an incisive pass at the end, but this was often because of Atletico fouls. Amazingly, no fewer than three Atletico players were booked for hacking down Di Maria before the game reached 75 minutes.

Di Maria had a burst of pace and whipped in a stream of crosses from the left, which was Real’s zone of strength. Marcelo supported him effectively and played some neat combinations, while Ramos also moved forward from centre-back to help down that side. Although Atletico were reasonably happy defending crosses, this was still Real’s best hope of getting back into the game – they didn’t seem to have enough space to break down Atletico’s defence from central zones. Marcelo to Di Maria was the game’s most frequent passing combination, despite the fact they were only on the pitch together for half of the 120 minutes.

Equaliser

Ultimately, the pressure created half-chances and Ramos headed in deep into stoppage time, forcing extra time. Atleti might regret allowing Sosa to shoot (poorly) from a 91st minute free-kick – they surely needed to take the ball into the corner and waste time.

Atletico will inevitably be criticised for not defending with men on the two posts for the corner, but this is surely amongst the laziest pieces of football analysis around. Atletico were defending with ten outfielders – one stopping the short corner, the other nine inside the penalty box.

Failing to put a man on the posts isn’t some kind of stupidity, some kind of obvious oversight – it’s simply because Simeone wants those two players to defend the first ball, and play offside from the second ball. He believes this is more effective, and considering Atletico have defended set-pieces brilliantly all season there’s no reason to disagree. The hundreds of times Atletico have successfully cleared the first ball this season has partly been because they haven’t defended with men on the posts.

Extra time

Into extra-time, there was only one winner. Real had momentum following their late equaliser and also simply seemed much fresher – partly as they had dominated the game and forced Atletico to chase, partly because they had more rest coming into this game having given up on the league three weeks ago, and partly because Atletico were absolutely exhausted having played a terrifyingly intense midfield pressing game throughout the campaign. Simeone surely regretted wasting his first change gambling on Costa’s fitness, however.

Atletico tried to sit back and deny Real space to break into, but simply seemed exhausted. Di Maria continually drove forward marvellously, and was rightly awarded man of the match – his dribble and shot created the crucial second goal, for Bale. The Welshman’s finishing throughout the night had actually been extremely poor, with his teammates visibly frustrated by his refusal to pass.

Atletico had no way back at 2-1 down, and Real’s subsequent two goals were all about Atletico being too tired to get in (proper) challenges – Marcelo found himself in a goalscoring position almost accidentally to fire in, before Ronaldo won and converted a late penalty.

It was no coincidence Real’s three goals originated from the left flank, not merely because that’s the zone they’d been working all night, but also because Atletico right-back Juanfran was hobbling throughout extra-time. 4-1 was harsh on Atletico.

Conclusion

Atletico were two minutes away from a classic cup final victory. Strategically they did nothing particularly exciting, and a little like last weekend’s Liga ‘final’ against Barcelona (their sixth meeting against Barca this season), their fifth meeting with Real smacked of a contest between two sides who knew each other inside-out.

It was the standard Atletico blueprint, with the caveat that Turan and Costa’s absence meant their counter-attacking wasn’t effective. They were superbly organised at the back and used their aerial strength for the opening goal. It’s amazing they were denied an unthinkable double because they failed to defend a set-piece properly – that’s the one thing you expect Atletico to do effectively.

It’s incredibly harsh that their campaign has ended in such bitter heartbreak, but Simeone and his players should still be regarded as one of the the teams of the century so far, for winning a two-team league as the third team. It’s only surprising that they wilted in the European Cup, rather than over the course of a 38-league season, but both competitions came down to incredibly fine margins.

Real’s long wait for a tenth European Cup is over, although it’s difficult to pinpoint precise tactical reasons for the triumph in this final. Ancelotti’s changes were broadly effective and Di Maria was superb, but their star players were underwhelming.

Still, Ancelotti has created an organised side boasting excellent technical footballers, and it was impressive they didn’t fall apart defensively with such an adventurous side after the hour mark. They also deserve great credit for their fitness levels – that, more than anything else, was why they prevailed.

Agreed, this team basically started off ‘new’ in 2010-11. They ditched Ozil and inserted Modric but it’s just about the same vibe.
Man, back in a Real Madrid world with all of its self-advertising based on stuff that happened in the 50s, I don’t think I can take it for a full year. Bayern13 would have wiped this team

Brave, or stupid? That sort of selection proved to be their undoing in all the crucial games they played this season, aside from this one. Ancelotti deserves credit for handling the circus that is Madrid, but in my eyes he lacks the drive and ruthlessness that so well defines the season-in season-out league challenges of Ferguson, Guardiola and Mourinho. Not to say there is anything wrong with the way he manages, he can justifiably point to this European cup.

I don’t think there is much impressive about a midfield selection as offensive as that, as he didn’t really play it in a systemic way. When Mourinho was behind at Real he’d put two up front, 3 at the back, have Ozil, Kaka in midfield and have one definite attacking presence on each wing, each with defined roles. Not to say these Real players don’t, it’s more just a case of go and get on with it.

That said though, Real Madrid is all about the individual and I don’t think you’ll find a manager better at handling them than Ancelotti. Not as good a manager as Mourinho et al, but paradoxically he’s achieved better here.

I think that final paragraph nails it. They’re an individualistic club and Ancelotti is the best man-manager around.

Rust on May 27, 2014 at 1:14 pm

He’s similar to Del Bosque in this manner me thinks. And true, he’s not your guy if you want to win leagues every (or even any) season.

Brave or stupid depends on the end result I guess, so given the trophies I would lean onto brave side here though. Also, no matter what, it is a different vibe than from Mou’s times at Real and that was my main point.

Besides, how he was not playing that offensive midfield systematically? Alonso, Modric, DiMaria or similar (Isco in/out) was a default for the whole 2nd part of the season (ever since Khedira got his injury) including games against Bayern, Dortmund, cup final against Barcelona, etc. It wasn’t this last game only and it was successful.

Is he as good as Mourinho? Tactically possibly not, but certainly better than him at man management. Mourinho failed at that massively last season (and is on the way to repeat this at Chelsea I’m afraid).

Vecenes Dembel on May 29, 2014 at 12:14 am

Mourinho’s starting line-up for most games was 4-2-3-1 with Alonso & Modric playing the 2 & Di Maria playing in the 3. No bravery in starting a $150 million winger or €38million Isco or €28million Illara. Mourinho did buy Di Maria, Ozil & Kedira for a combined €50million. Lucky the 3 straight semis brought in an extra €200million in prize money, advertising & box office when previous 6 years were Round of 16ers. Would have been awesome for Mourinho to have had $150million for one player but it was nix of him to give that gift to Barry Switzer Ancellotti.

Doh on May 29, 2014 at 6:52 am

Mourinho’s starting line-up for most of the games was 4-2-3-1 with Alonso and Khedira playing the 2 (in some games he put Pepe in there) – always at least one truly defensive player. Modric didn’t see much playing time under Mou (Ozil was the preferred option).

Vecenes Dembel on May 27, 2014 at 5:53 pm

Every Quarterfinalist was significantly worse than last year except Athletico & Chelsea.
Munchen’s fault for hiring Guardiola; not Pep’s fault for being Pep. Munchen were an elegant bulldozer with Javier Martinez my star player there & Kroos @10 spot in 4-2-3-1. Munchen will get worse despite Lewondowski purchase. Barcelona will have it worse with the anchor of the Neymar purchase, image deterioration, World Cup hangover and fiscal& egotistical handicaps that’ll prevent them from purchasing what they really need. Sideshow Luiz in central defense worst option for PSG but will have to play him as Gunners for soft Ozil. Not sure about the rest.
Last Year’s Munchen & Dortmund steamroll through everyone but this Year’s Athletico.
Thin Dortmund got killed by injuries but had they been lucky with last Year’s fitness, they would have easily captured the UCL.
Don’t consider UCL trophy a feat unless you win your Domestic title in the prior or current year. 3rd place of less & winning trophy doesn’t make you even close to “Champions of Europe” like 5th place Liverpool in Istanbul, 5th place Chelsea in Munich, 3rd place Milan w/Kaka, etc… True Champions like Porto, Barcelona, Manchester United, Inter Milan & Bayern Munchen deserve all the more praise for earning the coronation as “Kings of Europe”. UCL always entertaining but no real Champion this year.

conor on May 27, 2014 at 6:51 pm

So you think if Dortmund had been healthier this season they would have easily captured the UCL? I enjoy watching them too but to say that this team, who finished over 20 points back in the Bundesliga, would have easily won the entire tournament seems a little absurd considering they only made the quarters. Also, wouldn’t that make them even less of a “real champion” in your eyes since they finished so far back in their domestic league? This whole argument seems a bit ridiculous to me. What’s the point of even having non-champions from the previous year in the tournament if you’re going to downplay it when they actually succeed and win?

Vecenes Dembel on May 27, 2014 at 9:44 pm

Is 3rd place or prior year 2nd place really deserving of “Champions of Europe” when 2 other squads busy their lower backsides to struggle for Domestic Glory. Kind of makes some sick. Dortmund would have won the tournament & perhaps lost by less than 10 points or actually won the Bund if so lucky with health like last year. But I wouldn’t make them “Kings of Europe” without a Domestic triumph. Don’t need to scrap UEFA’s financial paradise for my dislike of 3rd place or 20 points behinders pretending to be conquerors. You can call me an Idiot and refrain from labeling Liverpool, Chelsea, AC Milan & Real Madrid among the last decade’s “Kings of Europe”. You’d be right on all counts. Two years ago, a La Liga determining Classico between the 2 best teams in the world was sandwiched between two UCL semi legs against the eventual finalists who were both 20 pts behind in domestic competition and did Chelsea really become the “Kings of Europe”?

conor on May 28, 2014 at 2:48 pm

I understand what you mean, but I don’t think not winning the domestic league should take anything away from Real’s victory in this match. It wasn’t as if they completely ignored La Liga and solely focused on the UCL from the beginning. They were in the La Liga title race up until the last two weeks, but were beaten out by teams who had slightly better domestic seasons. I don’t think them falling JUST short of winning La Liga should take away from their success in the UCL.

Vecenes Dembel on May 29, 2014 at 12:29 am

Tried to reply to your final thoughts.
Hope to agree that neither Kings nor Champions of Europe. Do think that $150million on one player or $140million net spend on a 3-time consecutive semi finalist & 2nd place or better finisher should not receive significant praise for 3rd place finish despite Crushed Cup triumph & 93rd minute heroics. Remember Real Madrid crushing a better Barcelona 3-2-1 & only losing a Crushed Cup final. SemifinalOne moniker is funny but also damn impressive over 5 straight years; prime Barcelona-esque. Hate that Carlo has only won 3 Domestics in his career as I see 38 games as a true measure of a Champion. If Munchen had lost last Uear’s final, I’d sadly would have still looked upon them as Best in Europe as I look at Athletico this year & Real Madrid 2 years ago & Chelsea during the 2 Liverpool UCL Finals & definitely Juventus when they lost the Treble on penalties as BestinWorld Nedved was not available for that final.

Claudiu Dobre on May 28, 2014 at 2:03 am

Real was EASILY much better this year than last year, and I’m one of Mourinho’s biggest fans, so no bias…

Claudiu Dobre on May 28, 2014 at 11:34 pm

I think what should determine the BEST team in the world shouldn’t be getting 6 points out of 6 against the likes of Granada and Celta Vigo (purely random examples), but rather consistently coming out on top in matches against the very best teams around. That’s why the Champions League format is best – because it pretty much ONLY pits the best against the best (at least eventually, once all the weaker teams have been knocked out at the group stage or, if not, the last 16). I’m sure this isn’t news to anyone…

Domestic leagues have their importance, but they’re not nearly as important as THE competition that determines the best team in Europe, and the most successful coaches, like Ancelotti and Mourinho (again, just the first two names I can think of, but there are others) realize this and have shown time and time again that they give priority to the Champions League (Mourinho has played reserves in important league matches more than once, in order to rest players for big C.L. matches). Are you really going to tell me that getting 4-5 more points against middle and bottom of the table sides in your league is in any way more relevant as to a team’s potential than eliminating, say, Bayern Munich in the Champions League?

This is how it is in every sport. There are run-of-the-mill, everyday tournaments/matches, and there are important, history-defining tournaments. See snooker, see chess, see tennis (Grand Slams)… see any other sport you like… Where do you think the best teams/players are more likely to give their all? On the 23rd day of a 38-day internal season, in a relatively important but, ultimately, seldom – if ever – decisive match against the second-to-last team, or in the semifinal second leg of the Champions League? Apply the same principle to any sport. The results that are best remembered, and rightly so, are the ones achieved in the international arena, when all of the major rivals are there and ready to do battle, and everybody recognizes this.

Carlo's Equilibrium on May 27, 2014 at 2:04 am

I’m not one to say “Team A doesn’t deserve to win because they just sat back and defend”, i see football as a universal sport that can be looked at and appreciated in countless ways, but being a Madridista, i was very dissapointed upto the 92nd minute, that we were losing due to a Goalkeeper mistake, whilst wasting a couple good opportunities. Real “deserved” to win imo, but in the end that’s irrelevant, footy is footy and RM won on the 24th.

Having said this, About Real…

Two transfers that are rumored and that i can realistically see happening are Pogba and Suarez, if anyone is interested in answering my following question… How well do you think they would adapt to RM?

Could Suarez adapt to playing a bit more of a supporting role? Could Suarez be able to contribute everything Benzema can in link up, whilst providing plenty more when it comes to goal scoring? If Suarez is more or less a Benzema type player that is at the same time a better goal scorer then i would say yes to selling Benzema since his contract runs out in 2015.

About Pogba.. The only inconvenience i see is Illarramendi when it comes to bringing in Pogba. Khedira would be sold, but with Illarra there is a bit of an overflow of midfielders. Can Pogba play pivot well?

I could see a Modric-Pogba-Di Maria midfield, or Pogba-Modric-Di Maria with Isco as the main sub which would get plenty of minutes considering the long stretch of time to be played throughout season. With Illarramendi/Alonso there is certainly an overflow.

Both Pogba and Suarez could actually improve this Madrid side in my opinion.

dearieme on May 27, 2014 at 10:46 am

Ramsay.

Jack on May 27, 2014 at 4:27 pm

You mean RamsEy? Or Gordon Ramsay, the chef who plays a bit of football. I would rather have Ramsey in my team.

dearieme on May 28, 2014 at 1:40 pm

Ramsay. He can poison the opposition a la West Ham vs Spurs a few seasons ago.

Though disappointingly it turned out probably not to be food poisoning after all. Boo!

Stark on May 27, 2014 at 12:51 pm

One thing this Real Madrid side lacks in midfield is physical presence. Pogba may help here, but I certainly don’t see him as a holding midfielder alongside such adventureous players. That would play against his main strengths.

Selling Khedira would be just plain stupid for you, IMAO. He’s the only player in the midfield (as Casemiro plays a marginal role, as far as I know) which actually has the lungs and tenacity to do the running and battling around, providing aforementioned physical strength, tackling and aerial presence. Pogba could be utilised higher up, as a box to box midfielder of sorts, but he currently fails to match Khedira in defensive performance (at least in my opinion- there are claims that he could do a good job out there http://www.espnfc.com/blog/_/name/tacticsandanalysis/id/1116?cc=5739)

Both of these players are not ideal for holding midfield role, and Real still lacks a classic pivot. Atletico proved tackling to be an asset, and as for Los Blancos hardly any player aside from Khedira can provide a solid defensive performance, at least in theory (as extremely disciplined positionally Alonso-Modric duo did a good job in other crucial games of this campaign with Barca and Bayern, but I don’t see them doing it regularly).

On the other hand, the only player who links midfield and attack effectively is Angel Di Maria. Pogba, with his natural drive towards goal and at least decent technique, would probably do it quite well. As for overcongestion in midfield, just remember that Di Maria could be simply shifted back on the flank.

To sum up, Pogba would be a decent (though astronomically expensive) asset for your midfield, but certainly not without Khedira, Alonso or Illarramendi playing alongside him. He’s still more an attacking weapon than defensive asset.

Suarez is clearly a better striker than Benzema, though I’m not convinced if better for Real right now. He works the channels better, is faster, better with a ball at his feet, but Benzema could hold up ball better, and his interplay with two star wide players is really good. Suarez may hamper the effectiveness of them.

Pogba and Suarez would not make RM team worse, but I doubt that they would make it significantly better. It all comes down to team balance, not raw players’ skills. Ancelotti has found that balance, however imperfect.

If I would be Real’s manager, director of football or whoever’s the guy responsible for bringing new signings, I would turn my attention to other players. A false-nine type player would fit very well upfront between Ronaldo and Bale. A wide player with different characteristics than the aforementioned, more nimble with the ball and more creative (like say, David Silva) would provide some variety in Madrid attacks. A holding midfielder comfortable dropping inbetween centre-backs is relatively hard to find as the whole “modern sweeper” concept is still young, nevertheless would naturally fit in, with Carvajal and Marcelo happy to bomb forward and Cristiano&Bale cutting inside, and helping against two-men front lines as well.

“Atleti might regret allowing Sosa to shoot (poorly) from a 91st minute free-kick – they surely needed to take the ball into the corner and waste time.”
“They also deserve great credit for their fitness levels – that, more than anything else, was why they prevailed.”

- That pretty much sums it up nicely. When Jose Sosa shoots that 91min FK, I was like “Dude WTF are you doing? Are you blind to see all your teammates wearing out and RM is attacking wave after wave?”
I thought Gabi (as captain), Tiago (as some 1 experienced enough) and Simeone (as manager who can shout out instructions ASAP) all shared the fault of letting Sosa to shoot, but well that’s hindsight of couse.

Still, AM was amazing in their sustained intensity fitness throughout the year, reminds me of Biesla’s Bilbao few years back (but to a even greater extent). The last 30min or so (esp the last 10min) was really giving me a heart attack as every RM attack was so close to resulting in a goal.

I just hope that AM does not faze out just like Bilbao the following year.

PS: IF Costa had not started and Simeone has 1 more sub to make towards end of match/ET, I thought either Rodriquez or Mario Suarez will be great to inject fresh energy into mid/wide position to defend by replacing Juanfran or Tiago respectively.

That’s what surprised me – none of the veterans in the Atletico side said, “Jose, just keep the ball, or put it in the corner”. It was just a poor shot, too.

ins on May 27, 2014 at 3:22 am

One name – Ramos. I do not know how ZM named Di Maria the star player, while Ramos scored the set piece and was the player with the most passes and highest pass completion, keeping possession and helping the shut down, Modrich, which in ZM’s opinion turned out to be key by the end of the game.

Amazing defender, who won the game against Atlethi and Bayern. If Spain goes far in the World Cup, expecting Ramos to challenge for the Golden Ball.

Jim on May 27, 2014 at 5:26 am

ins – Di Maria was all over the pitch the entire match. The only Real Madrid player who was giving anything moving forward during the first 90. Ronaldo, Bale, and Benzema were shadows and Di Maria was pushing and driving the attack forwards. He was the catalyst for their success on the offensive front. That is how he was named the star player.

ins on May 27, 2014 at 2:56 pm

Perhaps, I am too exited when I see a world class defending such as the one of Ramos and Godin to an extend. It is just rear to see a defender to be so much influential in a game.

sidjeen on May 27, 2014 at 11:38 am

laughable that you bring ramos’s pass completion into the equation. dude if a defender doesn’t have 100% pass completion rate, expect him to have a very short career. i also dont agree with you on ramos being the star player.

Jack on May 27, 2014 at 4:25 pm

Most CBs don’t have 100% in a high level game, you would expect more like low 90s, since they would occasionally look to spread the play with a longer pass. A defender that doesn’t misplace one pass in 120 minutes is probably not very good on the ball and would be scared to pass to anyone other than the keeper or fellow CB. In my opinion 90% for a ball playing CB and 95% for more of a stopper would be a good stat, although I’m not one to read too much into pure stats.

He was very good – he won the fan’s MOTM – but for me Di Maria was the crucial player. I don’t think they would have been in a position to fight back if it wasn’t for him, even if Ramos was more directly the hero.

Zachbquick on May 27, 2014 at 3:29 am

Great review! Having only watched Atletico a couple of times I wonder how they ever score in open play. Today they did not threaten at all (literally at all) in open play until Adrian went to the wing because there was NO width. Even when they have Turan, both “wingers” come inside like the interiores of Garrido’s Villareal 2010-11 side. This with 2 seemingly traditional strikers in Costa and Villa. Does Costa usually drift wide like Nilmar and Rossi did to make that side function. If Costa and Villa do drift wide to create width as the 2 wingers come inside, then this side is basically a counter-attacking version of that Villareal side, which is kinda cool.

That’s a nice comparison. Costa does drift along the front a lot, but I think because the side is more direct, they don’t always need to play with width – they just drive straight through the defence

Zachbquick on May 28, 2014 at 2:54 pm

You would say that counter-attacking sides require less width than possession based ones huh. Is it because when a team counter-attacks the other team will have less players behind the ball so space, even in the center, is easier to come by?

Withdrawn Striker on May 27, 2014 at 5:05 am

“Simeone surely regretted wasting his first change gambling on Costa’s fitness, however.” I think this was a big factor. The odds of this match going to added time were high, so this seems like a poor decision. What if AM had another substitution around 85′?

zelo1954 on May 27, 2014 at 5:21 am

That’s pretty much how I saw it too. AM ran out of resources within a minute or two of success. From then on the result was never in doubt.

Malbec on May 27, 2014 at 8:50 am

I think Costa wanted to play and Simeone stuck with his man. It looks like a stupid decision if you view it in one game, but it reflects loyalty Simeone has to his team members and vice-versa. In other words: these kind of decisions are an integral part of their success.

zelo1954 on May 27, 2014 at 11:08 am

I have a certain sympathy for that view myself. However it works both ways. The same team loyalty should have told Costa’s conscience not to play.

dearieme on May 27, 2014 at 2:08 pm

well said. But perhaps he was asked to give it a go.

Rajesh on May 27, 2014 at 1:01 pm

The game changing decision was to play Costa from the beginning. what a pity.
Christian Rodriguez or Mario Suarez, if they were able to come in at 80 or 85 minute, Atletico would have been cheering now.
Turan’s absence affected them much more than what they thought, it seems.

I am hoping De Maria gets enough rest before he joins the NT. I cant wait to watch the Fabulous four (Messi, Kun, De Maria and Higuian) of Argentina.

Jack on May 27, 2014 at 1:18 pm

Since Costa was barely bit to play even a few minutes, I wonder why Simeone didn’t start with Costa on the bench, to come on later.

Johnny on May 28, 2014 at 12:40 am

because in that case, when you do the 3 changes and then Costa got injured your team has to play with 10 players the rest of the time.

Claudiu Dobre on May 27, 2014 at 1:40 pm

It’s beyond belief how much you guys are in love with this supremely boring Atletico side… I mean, if Chelsea played this style, everybody would recognize how (insert preferred curse word) boring their football is and simply tear them apart. They play way more interesting football, IMO, albeit slightly less solid, if you MUST go by the two’s semifinal result, which I personally don’t, by the way (I don’t think Chelsea were in any way inferior there – see the bits about Atletico’s luck below), and everybody STILL criticizes them for playing defensively… Unbelievable! But no, when Simeone’s Atletico do it (and much worse), just because they were somehow perceived to be weaker than the big shots in Spain and Europe, like Barcelona (have no idea why, as it was clear 3-4 games into the season that Martino’s side were even more boring and uninspired), even though they’re twice Europa League and European Supercup winners in the last 4 years, just because they’re (for some unknown reason) seen as the “lovable underdog”… it’s like the second coming or something… anything goes…

And, OK, it’s a nice performance, winning La Liga, but it’s NOT that big a deal. Do you guys know how many league titles Ancelotti has won as a coach? Three… in almost 20 years coaching at the absolute HIGHEST level. He’s won twice as many knockout competitions, not including supercups and such. Is it really a surprise that he fail to win the title this season, his first with Real? He’s a fantastic coach, don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan, but he’s a cup coach far more than a league coach (which is something I love about him), and everybody knows it. I won’t pretend to know WHY, but it’s still a fact. And I don’t think anybody can honestly say this year’s Barcelona side is anywhere near the playing strength (or desire, or ability, or speed, or anything, really) of Guardiola or even Vilanova’s teams… Plus, Atletico REALLY, REALLY did their best to lose this title… In their last 3 matches, they lost away to Levante, barely managed to draw against Malaga at home and were behind against Barcelona. I know, I know… no Costa… the universal excuse… Nobody complained when they had probably their best match of the season, against the same Barcelona, in the Champions League, also without Costa. But, anyway, honestly, that’s hardly an impressive way to finish a campaign. Had Barcelona not been equally hesitant, the title race would have been over ages ago, and not in Atletico’s favor. So what are we really talking about here? Winning a title against a seriously declining former great side, Barcelona, and a UCL-focused side with a coach that hardly ever wins the league, even though he does extremely well in Europe. This by a side that has 4 European trophies in the last 4 years… and on the last day, after a profoundly hesitant finish. I get the whole budget angle, but that’s about the only argument for calling this a major upset. It’s a bit of an upset, sure, but it’s far from major. FAR from major…

I’m with the poster who said he can’t see how Atletico ever score from open play… because they RARELY do (at least in the important matches). In fact, they rarely create anything of note (except when the other team is already behind, thanks to some lame header by Godin or whoever, that took 50 different deflections before ending up in the net – I have NEVER seen a luckier side IN MY LIFE than Simeone’s this season -, and they have to open up, like Barcelona in the second leg, like Chelsea at 1-1 in the second leg, etc.), WITH OR WITHOUT Turan and Costa. Where were those ‘neat combinations’ you keep mentioning in the first 135 minutes against Chelsea?! Maybe they were there, I didn’t notice, as I was too busy being bored to tears whenever Atletico pretended to attack, but did they result in actual CHANCES, in actual DANGER? More than 2-3 real chances in those 135 minutes, maybe? That’s not how I remember it. I remember Atletico’s chances and first (and basically decisive, given their defensive capabilities) goal coming mostly from crosses… The most boring type of football imaginable, if you ask me. Defend, defend, defend (well though you might do that) and then score just because you’re good at set pieces and crosses and you’re very effective in front of goal, even though you hardly ever get there… and you want to win the Champions League playing like that!…

And where was Diego Costa in the Chelsea matches, up until, as I said before, the equalizer that forced Chelsea to take risks? Was he there? Oh, wait, he was… he was the one who was losing the ball all the time… I’m genuinely worried about this player coming to Chelsea. I think it’s a bad move by the London side. He’s not got what it takes in big matches, if you ask me. I’ve not seen anything yet to make me think otherwise. I think Atletico would have clearly lost the final even with him there. They never would have scored more than once anyway, as they were too defense-minded from the offset, and Real’s pressure would have still come, eventually, and the same thing would have happened. Because that’s what mediocre teams do – they crumble under the pressure. When there is ACTUAL pressure… not when you’re playing Martino’s Barcelona! By the way, there was a bit of a difference between their Costa-less Barcelona match and their Costa-less Real match in this final, wasn’t there? A bit harder this time… just a bit… just like it was in the Spanish Cup against Real. But I hope I’m wrong about Costa, because I’d hate it for Chelsea to be stuck with such a dud, who will score heavily against Hull and Fulham and then be nearly useless in the key matches of the season.

No tactical reasons for Real having won the final? How about the dozens of (what YOU call) half-chances in the 30 minutes in which they simply ripped Atletico’s much-ballyhooed defense apart, and not only on the left, but on the right too (Bale had more than one dangerous sprint there), and in the center (lightning-quick combinations that Atletico’s defenders got nowhere near, a couple of shots as well…). I’ve rarely seen such powerful and effective domination in a big final. It’s very rarely this one-sided. How about the at most 2-3 chances Atletico were able to create themselves, over 120 minutes, although they had plenty of time/space to wreak havoc on the counter? There must be tactical reasons for these things, no?

Methinks you’re trying to find excuses for Atletico’s pathetic display and to maintain the illusion that they were actually close to winning it, just because the goal happened to come later, rather than sooner, when, in fact, they were extremely lucky to still be in it in the 93rd minute, when they could easily have already been behind by then, given the number of chances Real had created. This is not MY impression of the match – all of the commentators I’ve listened to AND all of the people I’ve spoken to who saw the final saw the same thing I did.

To me this Atletico side is easily the weakest and most boring side to qualify for a European Cup final since 1986, and I was profoundly happy that they lost (I supported Chelsea, by the way, as you may have guessed, this year, but I deeply admire what Real have shown in this season’s competition), because that’s not how a Champions League winning team plays and such precedents should never be set. There’s always a balance in winning sides between solid defense and powerful, inspired, fast attacking play. Atletico show few signs of the latter, if you ask me… (Honestly, it can be argued that even Greece 2004 played more interesting attacking football…) Tactical genius or not, Simeone seriously needs to either get better attacking players or work on his open play combinations and creativity. At least now he’s rid of Costa, so maybe there’s hope for Atletico’s future!

By the way, I generally support Atletico and I really liked their Europa League winning sides, especially the one with Falcao. But not this year… not playing like this…

ins on May 27, 2014 at 2:48 pm

You cant really differentiate a boring “sit deep and do not even attempt counter, cause you are breaking the formation” side and spectacular “press insanely intensive from deep and counter-attack” side. Bad for you.

Why I personally like Athlethi, because they remind me to the old school Seria A style of play.

Claudiu Dobre on May 27, 2014 at 3:27 pm

Yeah, sucks for me… I’m just so unhappy that I don’t have your level of tactical understanding, you can’t imagine… I lose sleep over it! Meanwhile, however, you probably thought Atletico would win this and I always maintained there was no logical reason why Real should lose this final (except Atletico’s insane luck which, thankfully, as ever, wasn’t good enough in the end). So maybe there are some things you don’t understand about football as well, my friend, things that I DO understand. But, sure, you just hold on to your superior tactical knowledge and keep supporting crap teams like this Atletico, and see how well that works out for you! I’m sure you have many glorious nights like this one in your future, with your favorite teams trying to win big cups with just their defense and, in the end, invariably cracking under the pressure of superior sides that have some actual balance between attack and defense.

I have no idea what old school Serie A team Atletico reminds you of – I remember all of them playing fast, exciting attacking football when they got back the ball, early 1980s included. Maybe you mean VERY old school, 1970s or earlier. I don’t know… Seems like a weak comparison to me, otherwise.

WTF on May 27, 2014 at 3:31 pm

Mate, they are just moanriho fanboys, they are upset because Moanrinho lost the final of Copa Del Rey against Atletico with Real Madrid. Then Atletico demolished Chelski with ATTACKING FOOTBALL so they started supporting Atletico and now, Atletico lost and they are upset because they see the true that RM lost 3years with Moanrinho. No trophy for moanrinho in two years.

ins on May 27, 2014 at 4:01 pm

I have never said that. I am just amazed how you can compare Chelsea’s play style who the media hyped as boring and Atletico’s who is very intensive. If you have ever watched Diego Simeone and Lazio you would understand the comparison. My grandfather was a fan of Lazio, while I am a Roma fan, so we had lots of fights in front of the TV and I have watched Seria A enough to name sides such as Lazio, Inter and Juventus from the 90s and early 2000 as very physical and intensive such as Atletico.

I was expecting Real to win to be honest when I understood Arda is not going to play. But I was impressed with the way Atleti controlled the game for 60 mins. In another day with both Arda and Costa fit you would expect a very different final and I would place my bets on Atletico.

Claudiu Dobre on May 27, 2014 at 4:17 pm

Wow… Lazio, really? You’re really going to compare THAT Lazio (Nedved, Crespo, Lopez etc.) with this Atletico? I mean, sure, intensity-wise, maybe, but creativity-wise there’s just no comparison at all. And Inter and Juventus also played extremely spectacular attacking football in that period… Trust me, I was (and still am) a huge Serie A fan, and I watched pretty much every match I could in those days, and I’ve even rewatched a few of the classics since then. I’m no stranger to what was being played in Italy in the late 1990s.

And I don’t see how Chelsea’s style isn’t intensive. That’s just a very weird thing to say. All of Mourinho’s sides are very focused and hard-working – even F. Torres works very hard, even though he might outwardly appear as more relaxed/detached than most other strikers.

I’ve already said what I think (and am, in fact, pretty sure) would have happened had both Turan and Costa played and been 100% fit. A team that can’t withstand pressure defensively against a strong opponent (which Atletico definitely proved was the case in this final and in their last matches against Real) will never be saved by their forwards, because they’ll also feel the pressure of knowing their defense will eventually collapse (they’ve met Real often enough this season to know that – just take the 2-2 in the La Liga, their last direct encounter, I believe, when Real also equalized late, and I won’t even mention the Cup double) and will be far more likely to miss than score when they do get a chance. It takes someone of the quality of, say, Didier Drogba, to get past that kind of pressure. Diego Costa is nowhere near that good (in big, tense matches like this, at least) and my guess is he never will be.

WTF on May 27, 2014 at 4:21 pm

That is not true, the media started calling Mourinhos system boring only after he lost the match to Atletico.

Before that, the media, especially in UK, all were blessing Mourinho when he won against City or Liverpool with B squad. Only B. Rodgers from Liverpool voiced it.

The Atleticos win was a turnover which has changed how the media were looking at Mourinho. He parked the bus, started with 7 defending players and he paid the price.

Atletico are underdogs so noone will say anything bad about them and how they play.

Welliton on May 27, 2014 at 4:34 pm

I think there are sites where you can submit potential novels somewhere on the internet.

Claudiu Dobre on May 27, 2014 at 4:41 pm

Pointless and adds nothing to the discussion… If you can’t read more than 20 words per post, then put up your own site with a 20-word maximum, and stay there!

Welliton on May 27, 2014 at 5:45 pm

Good idea, but when I do, I’ll not punish the readers by posting an arrogant, rambling tirade which contradicts itself three times. I remember when Zonal Marking was the domain of respectful arguments, not jaded hipsters lambasting others’ views and opinions. You took an aggressive tone from your opening paragraph, which is absurd considering no had even replied to you yet.

Claudiu Dobre on May 28, 2014 at 2:15 am

I did take an aggressive tone because I was pissed off at all the undeserved praise Atletico were (and still are) getting. It REALLY, REALLY bugs me. But it’s not like I’ve insulted anyone, so you might want to reconsider your attitude. Everyone is allowed to be angry in conversation, as long as they’re civilized. Since when is there a law against that kind of thing?

If you don’t like my tone and can’t deal with it, just don’t reply, how about that? I didn’t attack you personally (at least not until you did, with your pathetic attempt at sarcasm, which you’re probably going to pretend wasn’t a way of saying my opinion sucked and yours, however unspecified, did not), so what’s your problem?! If you have some sort of gripe with me personally, we can talk about it, figure it out… But you have absolutely no right to tell me how to write my messages, as long as they’re within the confines of civilized conversation. Well, you have the right , but not the right to be taken seriously.

And you might want to point out exactly what those contradictions are. Otherwise you’re just throwing unfounded accusations out there, which doesn’t make for much of an argument…

Welliton on May 28, 2014 at 2:46 am

Forget it, my ’sarcasm’ was actually intended to be friendly, but you’re too oblivious to realise that. You’re a little like Clarence on steroids. I don’t have anything personal, I was just trying to be fair to ‘Ins’ whom I thought you were being unfair to and slightly insulting to his references re: tactical knowledge. But as you said, I shouldn’t have jumped in you argument with somebody else, apologies. You do make some interesting points, and I don’t think my opinion on the match (which I never even gave) is better than yours. You undoubtedly are highly knowledgeable about this subject, I was merely trying to even out the debate.

Claudiu Dobre on May 28, 2014 at 3:42 am

It didn’t come off as friendly to me, obviously… But, OK, I won’t dispute you on that one. If you say so, maybe it was. Quarrel over!

I’m not saying I’m highly knowledgeable about tactics – I’m probably not. I’ve just seen loads of football matches from all periods, 1950s to today (I have a REALLY big collection), and I’ve come to understand quite well, I believe, what a European Cup winning team is supposed to look like (which Atletico simply does not) – without necessarily “knowing” why in as well-defined terms as you guys, with all of your analytical tools. (That’s why I’ve been following Zonal Marking for the past 2 years – to get to know this part of things better as well.)

But I do think I have a much better feel for it than many. I’m constantly right about who is going to win big finals, and I have quite a few other strong tips I’ve given over the years (like picking Inter to win the 2010 C.L. early on, pre-quarterfinals, which you can’t say was an easy pick, or Porto to win the 2010 Europa League, and Atletico the next year, also both pre-quarterfinals). I won’t bore you with all of the other examples, which are many and all on record. I’ve had my fair share of near-misses as well, I’m no machine.

My point is that all this tactical stuff you guys understand so well ultimately leads to clear, visible results in teams’ play patterns, and that’s where I come in. I look at the way teams and players behave in important, decisive matches, from as many viewpoints as possible, and I compare them with what I know from my rather significant experience the best teams/players of past years would do in the same situation, and I can figure out pretty well who has an actual chance of winning the big cups and who doesn’t. And by, at the latest, the end of the first semifinal leg, I almost always have a single favorite to win the Champions League, and they’ve always won it for the past 7 years. I was wrong in 2007; I thought Liverpool would beat Milan in the final. I wouldn’t make that mistake now, as there’s a 100% stat that went against Liverpool that year, which I wasn’t aware of at the time. But anyway…

As for ‘ins’, he was being condescending. Had he nicely explained what the flaw in my reasoning was, I would have been equally nice and acknowledged that he was right and I was wrong. You’d know that if you knew me better. Also, I can OBVIOUSLY differentiate between defense and defense+counterattack (I’m thinking anyone with a 90+ IQ can, which I’m sure he’s aware of, so you can’t really say he was actually trying to prove something, but was rather just being snide) – I’m simply of the opinion that the former can sometimes win you big matches, if the opponent had enough significant weaknesses, but never by itself win you big trophies, without good, creative attacking play, that actually sets constant and difficult to solve problems to the opponent, to accompany it; Atletico were trying to win the Champions League by just defending and having 2-3 chances per match from set pieces, which quite simply never works out as long as all your opposition isn’t crap, and there’s almost always a better team out there than those that attempt this strategy.

This year it was Real Madrid. If you ask me, Chelsea were also a bit better overall (the job they did on Costa, Atletico’s ’star’, is proof enough for me, but there are other things), but Atletico were the luckier of the two and Chelsea’s youths couldn’t create enough to make up for that. It happens, like I said. I had no illusions by that point that Chelsea would stand an actual chance in the final against Real (who I had basically zero doubts would go through after the way the 1-0 at home had played out) anyway, but it would have been nice to see them in the final, and not the boring (for me) Atletico.

But, anyway, the fact is ‘ins’ chose to be arrogant himself, and I don’t like that and can’t simply let it go when I see it. Just like you felt my own arrogance was out of place. It was probably unnecessary, I’ve already admitted to it, but I was pissed and couldn’t manage to not show it. I wouldn’t have even posted unless I felt quite strongly about the whole thing. This kind of post is “legal”, like I said, because it’s not actually insulting, but it doesn’t mean I (or anyone else) have to just take it, when it’s directed at myself, and not hit back!

Welliton on May 28, 2014 at 12:26 pm

@ Claudiu Dobre

No worries.

Jack on May 27, 2014 at 6:01 pm

Relax, man, everybody has their different view on a game, it’s not a crime to disagree with yours or mine.

Burt on May 27, 2014 at 10:21 pm

How were they not close to winning it? I do think they were being “outplayed”, but that doesn’t matter. The FACT is they were 2 minutes away from victory.

Maybe people criticize Chelsea because Chelsea spend enormous amounts of money on players, and have to resort to playing like a small club against good teams like in the Atletico and Liverpool matches (both of which have far less money to spend).

You complain about Atletico being boring, and your club AGAINST Atletico had like 30% of the ball and played like a small club hoping to lucky. LOL

Claudiu Dobre on May 28, 2014 at 2:26 am

Yeah but that’s double standards! That’s a big part of my point. SO WHAT if Chelsea spend more? It’s the end result that matters. It’s what they show on the field, and Chelsea have shown three times as much attacking creativity as Atletico this season. Really, any Italian mid-table team has as well, if you get right down to it, albeit with significantly less secure play at the back.

And yeah, they were close… from a time perspective. Like I said, the goal could (and should, after the 10+ real chances their opponents had) have come much earlier, whereas Atletico had at most 1-2 other chances to score themselves. It’s one thing to be close because you’ve been better, and get unlucky to lose it in the end, and it’s a whole other thing to be close because YOU were the team that got lucky to be ahead, and rightly concede and lose in the end to the better team. If you think it’s the same, then you probably know something I don’t…

Neil Rumpus on May 28, 2014 at 2:52 am

Clarence…?

Claudiu Dobre on May 28, 2014 at 3:49 am

Dude, I’m not Clarence. I don’t even know who Clarence is… The first time Welliton mentioned him, I thought he meant Seedorf or something, even though that makes no sense. That’s how little idea I actually have about who this Clarence guy is.

Simon# on May 27, 2014 at 2:45 pm

just a few random comments from me. Godin was immense. crazy decision by DS to start DC. i like bale & C ron but both were quite poor. Bale at least created a couple of chances for himself, but shot when he should have passed (twice), and then felt guilty and next time passed when he should have shot. C Ron wasn’t even testing TC in goal.

Atletico ,although they do the minimal possession game well, a bit of retaining possession in last 10 mins would have worked a treat. just reviewing my recording, i saw Koke on approx 90 mins just lump one straight in the air, under minimal pressure. it just struck me as so un-spanish..the type of thing england do at world cups…hot potato stuff. panic. just go back & square etc

RM were looking like a moyes MAN UTD team at times..just crossing, crossing, crossing… . C Ron was looking just too desperate to impress. Benzema didn’t seem to offer much goal threat. Isco seemed to improve things. hard to see Mou with a m/f like that at the end !. final point about the importance of great keepers…in such a low scoring game that football is, you ca never 100% rule out the opposition, so if you have a dodgy keeper, you aren’t going to get anyhwhere. Neuer playing great won it last yr. now this year, TC got ever so close to winning it here. ironic that Casillas should make an error..to try to disprove my point. quite odd of Ancelotti to do this rotation policy with keepers like the old england one with shilton/clemence. Casillas made another gaffe late-on, where Marcelo & Di maria where grabbing his head saying..what are you doing/calm down etc. he got away with it, but it’ll be interesting to see if this bizarre policy can continue.

Regarding the Atletico fitness: The fact is is that they were competitive in La Liga right until the end, while Real Madrid obviously weren’t, which itself had a possibly crucial impact on the outcome of the final. This meant that while Atletico had to risk their best players in a crucial title decider on the final weekend at Barcelona, Real, who had nothing to play for, could rest crucial players if need be. So while Diego Costa and Arda Turan were hobbling off in the midst of a mighty battle, Ronaldo was sat back in the stands and there was no need for others to risk injury in order to win.

The reason why Atletico suffered injuries the week before the final? Atletico’s Liga performance was superior to Real’s, and through being better in the league, came suffering in the CL final.

If the roles were reversed, and Real Madrid were competing for La Liga and Atletico had nothing to play for, then in the CL final Ronaldo might have hobbled off after 10 minutes, Diego Costa and Arda would have played the whole match and Atletico would have won. Football works like that – you can’t win them all. Atletico should keep that in mind and celebrate their Liga success more than being despondent about the final.

Pat on May 28, 2014 at 6:51 pm

You would have to wonder if Ancelotti intentionally draw and lose the few La Liga matches after the 4-0 triumph over Munich. To reduce the pressure on the squad and rest the key players (like B-B-C), who were injured/unfit anyways.

They simply gave up the La Liga to preserve their chance for their 10th European Cup, and they prevailed.

Steve on May 27, 2014 at 11:38 pm

On the Bale goal, I thought the use of Ronaldo as a decoy was interesting. He dropped very deep (behind Marcelo), played the ball square to Casillas, and then stood still as Casillas played the ball forward. Athletico moved much higher than it had at any recent point in the game, allowing space in behind for ADM and Bale after ADM picked up Casillas’ ball in midfield (after it was miscontrolled by an Athletico player, I believe). The American commentators thought Ronaldo was injured or cramped up, but that doesn’t seem to have been the case based on his movement over the remaining 10 minutes or so following Bale’s goal. I’m curious whether Real had ever previously used Ronaldo as a decoy in that manner, and if this was something Ancellotti decided to try during the extra time break.

Calvera on May 28, 2014 at 12:09 am

starting with Costa was a big gamble indeed, but i m almost sure that he d take it again if it d ever come up. why do i say that? because we saw what atleti was capable of in attack without him. without him (and turan) you can only hope for set pieces. so, it s almost like giving it up before the starting whistle. with Costa he had a slim chance and he took it, and i think he should be admired for the bravery. (anyone remembers Ronaldo playing against France in the 98 WC final? i feel a similar gamble there)

Pat on May 28, 2014 at 12:45 am

I actually think Mourinho deserves a lot of credit for the RM triumph. Ancelotti played with practically the same team from last year (-Ozil and +Bale). The fact that Mourinho wanted to buy Bale the year earlier but failed to get him was even more telling. Mourinho also had a better record against AM compared to Ancelotti as well.

Had Mourinho got Bale at his disposal, would he have won the 10th UCL for RM already? Bale contributed even more pace to RM’s counters which is onething that Ozil didn’t provide.

I am extremely interested to know what Mr.Zonal Marking (Admin) think of the Mourinho factor.

WTF on May 28, 2014 at 12:14 pm

There was no Mourinho factor, Mourinho was knocked 3times in the row with Real Madrid.

Mourinhos Real Madrid was about Alonso, Ozil and Ronaldo. In their third season, everyone knew that so everyone marked Alonso, Ozil and they were fucked – the title in La Liga was lost in 1 month, BVB demolished them in groups and in the knockout stage, even Man United did the same and marked Xabi and RM got almost knocked out.

Ancelotti sold Ozil and broke the whole Mourinho counterattacking system. He moved Di Maria from RW to central left midfield, made Modric a playmaker and Alonso was only a DM.

No one is talking about Manciny factor at Inter Milan, everyone is praising Moanriho that HE WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE with Inter, not Manciny, who created that team and Moanriho only did small changes.

SO WHY NOW? Because moanrinho is second year without a trophy and you must give at least some credits.? Pathetic, pathetic.

Tunde Oyebode on May 28, 2014 at 5:18 pm

My comment really is for the writer’s perusal; as for fans on both side of the divide, accept mt congratulations and sympathy as the case may be. However doesn’t the writer think that the Referee’s decision on the point of law of the game could have swung the game permanently in favour of the tired Athletico side. At about the 871st minute Cavalja cynically hacked down David Villa on a promising counter. All other players that committed similar offence during the match especially in the second half got booked why not cavalja? The foul was definitely cynical and should have been Cavalja’s second yellow card of the match and consequently a marching order. This point is strictly a point of law issue. Why did Cavalja remained on the field for the rest of the match. For me ( I am a soccer Coach) underdogs like Athletico (Please stop calling Chelsea’s 2012 victory an underdog victory) will need such fine margin decisions to help them reap reward for hard labour. I am of the opinion that Madrid were largely ineffective for 90 minutes and a deserved red card like that will disrupt whatever strategy they have left in the bag.

STS on May 28, 2014 at 9:38 pm

Agreed, but… You comfortably omitted the fact that Koke and perhaps Juanfran and Gabi might have been send off even earlier and no one could’ve blamed the referee, though they weren’t punished for their first half calf-hunting.

Claudiu Dobre on May 28, 2014 at 11:12 pm

Also, if Real Madrid were “largely ineffective” for 90 minutes, then, by the same measure, Atletico were simply non-existent in their final three matches of the campaign, if you count the actual chances they created. They barely add up to a bit over half the chances Real had in that last half-hour before the equalizer…

I hv some further points
1. Atletico shifted to 4-5-1 since the set piece goal.

2. Isco also made huge difference to the game. The possession has been excellenct since his entry.

3. Gabi is the MoM of Atletico. He was the most energetic, tenious, and most importantly, the leader of the team. He controlled Atletico’s pace in 90 mins, sadly the team had been out of control in extra time.

Ismail on May 29, 2014 at 8:01 pm

ronaldo’s celebration was excessive and pathetic, but bale and especially ancelotti have truly made their mark and been the difference in big games this season, along with the likes of di maria and ramos.